Legalization of Recreational Marijuana in Illinois

Illinois has signed a bill legalizing recreational use and purchase of Marijuana. This bill is scheduled to go into effect as of January 1st, 2020. Illinois is now joining 10 other states and the District of Columbia in another large step for cannabis and cannabis-derived products. Governor J. B. Pritzker signed this bill on Tuesday June 26th, 2019.

Possession Constraints

Here is the full case summary of The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. I’ll be hitting some of the major points here as well. Adult’s ages of 21 and older will be able to buy and use recreational marijuana from licensed dispensaries. There will be different constraints of possession based on residency within the state.

“Possession limit for Illinois residents:

30 grams of cannabis flower;

5 grams of cannabis concentrate; and

No more than 500 milligrams of THC contained in a cannabis-infused product; and

Registered patients in the medical cannabis pilot program may possess more than 30 grams of cannabis if it is grown and secured in their residence under certain conditions.

Possession limit for non-Illinois residents:

5 grams of cannabis flower;

2.5 grams of cannabis; and

No more than 250 milligrams of THC contained in a cannabis-infused product.

“The proposal would establish a new grant program, the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program, to address the impact of economic disinvestment, violence, and the historical overuse of the criminal justice system.”

Sounds like some very promising news for the state of Illinois. The idea of the R3 program is a fascinating and respectable way to ascertain the full needs of the community and understand the depth at which the criminal justice system has effected it. The community itself will be getting an explosion of jobs due to the legalization. With the early access given to the currently licensed medical cannabis groups, jobs will be starting to boom in short time. With all this positive news it’s hard to understand why it hasn’t been done sooner. According to J.B. Pritzker:

“The state of Illinois just made history, legalizing adult-use cannabis with the most equity-centric approach in the nation,”

“Legalizing adult-use cannabis brings an important and overdue change to our state, and it’s the right thing to do. This legislation will clear the cannabis-related records of nonviolent offenders through an efficient combination of automatic expungement, gubernatorial pardon and individual court action. I’m so proud that our state is leading with equity and justice in its approach to cannabis legalization and its regulatory framework. Because of the work of the people here today and so many more all across our state, Illinois is moving forward with empathy and hope.”

Expungement?

But that’s not all. With the legalization of Marijuana also comes the fact of giving relief to the community on previous marijuana related violations.

“Category 1: Local law enforcement and ISP will automatically expunge arrests not leading to a conviction for possession and manufacture or possession with intent to deliver for up to 30 grams.

Eligible records = arrests for section 4 and section 5 of the Cannabis Control Act for amounts less than 30 grams. Must not be associated with a violent crime or a penalty enhancement for selling to a person under the age of 18 if the individual was over 18.”

“Category 2: Governor will grant pardons authorizing expungement for convictions for possession and manufacture or possession with intent to deliver for up to 30 grams.

Eligible records = convictions for Section 4 and Section 5 of the Cannabis Control Act for amounts less than 30 grams. Must not be associated with a violent crime or a penalty enhancement for selling to a person under the age of 18 if the individual was over 18.”

“Category 3: Individuals and State’s Attorneys may file motions with courts to vacate convictions for possession up to 500 grams.

Eligible records = convictions for possession and manufacture/delivery/possession with intent to deliver under Section 4 and Section 5 of the Cannabis Control Act, including possession up to 500 grams. No limitations on associated with violent crime.”

“Exclusions: Violent Crimes

If the cannabis offense was connected to a violent crime it is ineligible for the automatic expungement processes, but the individual (or State’s Attorney) can still file motion with the court to vacate conviction. This list of violent crimes comes from the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act.””

This one act alone is going to provide clean or cleaner records of around 800,000 people involved in the act of purchasing or possessing marijuana within the aforementioned 30 gram limitation. The magnitude of this is insane. People are going to be able to return to their original lives with traces of the violation on their record. Allowing these people to continue on with their lives is yet again another benefit on the community. Gov. J.B. Pritzker says:

“This will have a transformational impact on our state, creating opportunity in the communities that need it most and giving so many a second chance.”

I agree with Gov. J.B. Pritzker. He has shown incredible steps on this subject to increase the economy of the entire state while formulating plans to not only help out, but give so much back to the community. The amount of actual state revenue that this act will bring is going to be exponential to Illinois. There is going to be a huge boom in the economy. I’m excited to see what else this legislature is going to affect throughout the rest of the United States over the coming months. There are now 11 States and the District of Columbia with legalized recreational marijuana. Whereas there are 33 States and the District of Columbia with legalized medical marijuana. Don’t forget that through this legality that the cannabis-derived compounds are also going to be getting bigger and bigger.

The cannabis-derived compound CBD is always a solid alternative to the drug marijuana. If you’re worried about THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) being in your system or if it conflicts with possible job opportunities then this is your go to alternative. CBD has great potential for eventual medical use and the results are more than known. Feel free to look up plenty of stories about these beneficial qualities that CBD has. If you want to learn more about it, you can check up on our educational pages connected to our CBDipedia superstore. CBDipedia is your number one source for all things relating to hemp news, as well as your one stop for all of the top premium products that the CBD industry can supply.